Cleo Laine and the John Dankworth Group

Cleo Laine and John Dankworth are British royalty, and the first family of jazz in their native land. Musicians with impressive resumes that go back well over 50 years, they’ve both been recognized with high honors by the Queen herself: She’s Dame Cleo Laine, he’s Sir John Dankworth. A chanteuse with a smoky, multi-octave voice that sets her apart from those who’ve come along since, Laine — half British, half Jamaican — has been a major star in England since the Beatles were in high school. Dankworth, a saxophonist, composer and bandleader, has worked with all the biggest names in jazz. Since 1958, when he hired Cleo to sing with his touring and recording band (and married her in the bargain!), they’ve worked almost exclusively as a team — a highly combustible one-two musical punch that delivers in any language, no matter where they’re performing. Laine, in fact, can do — and has done — it all. In the 1960s and ‘70s, she was an award-winning staple of West End musical theater in London. Early productions of “A Time to Laugh,” “Showboat” and the Kurt Weill opera/ballet “The Seven Deadly Sins” catapulted her into the British spotlight, and her groundbreaking 1964 album “Shakespeare and All That Jazz” (with musical arrangements by Dankworth) remains a milestone in the ever-evolving relationship between the literary and musical arts. In 1972 Laine went international, making her New York debut with a one-woman show at Lincoln Center, followed in short order with a triumphant (and often repeated, always to great acclaim) visit to Carnegie Hall. In fact, Laine was awarded her first Grammy Award for a 1983 set recorded at Carnegie Hall (“The 10th Anniversary Concert”). She received another nomination for her classical recording, Arnold Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire.” Laine’s ‘80s output also include well-received duet albums with Ray Charles (“Porgy and Bess”) and Mel Tormé “Nothing Without You”). She has recorded with such diverse artists as James Galway and John Williams. In America, she has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Boston’s Berklee College of Music; in her homeland Cambridge University, the University of York, the Open University and the University of Luton have bestowed similar honors. In addition, she has published two autobiographies: “Cleo” and “You Can Sing if You Want To.” Dankworth’s career began before that of his illustrious wife’s; he was named Britain’s Musician of the Year in 1949. His swinging, insouciant style was noticed by Charlie “Bird” Parker, who took the young Dankworth on tour. He was a good friend of Duke Ellington’s, and their respective bands often performed together. Dankworth’s familiar film and TV scores include the original “The Avengers” and “Tomorrow’s World.” Dame Cleo’s most recent CD, “Once Upon a Time,” is a return to form, of sorts — it collects poetry (some by Laine) set to music (all by Dankworth) and sung by Laine and the couple’s daughter Jacqui. Sir John has released “In a Mellow Tone” with his quintet, a set of familiar songs long associated with Duke Ellington.